Pierre Lacam, in ‘’Memorial Historique de la Patisserie,’’ published in 1890, wrote that the financier was created by a baker named Lasne, whose bakery on the Rue St.-Denis was near the Bourse, the financial center of Paris. Presumably, the rich little cake was named for the rich financiers who frequented his bakery. The cake was baked in rectangular molds, the shape of gold bars.

— Amanda Hesser, NY Times

Well, this was my first time making them, and they sorta look like gold bars. But, in any case, they were delicious. Highly recommend making them yourself!

Brown nine tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium heat. It takes about five minutes. Be careful not to burn it. Set aside.

Measure 1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar.

And 1/2 cup whole almonds.

Throw the powdered sugar and almonds into a food processor and whir it up.

Separate four egg whites from their yolks. (Later, I used the yolks to make butterscotch pudding, and separately, hollandaise sauce—because I have a huge sweet tooth and I like rich sauces. I thought that was a good enough reason. Can't waste the yolks! In fact, I googled what to do with egg yolks and something popped up about putting yolks on your scalp for a moisturizing treatment, but that didn't sound nearly as fun as savoring butterscotch pudding.)

Next, whisk the almond/sugar mixture with 1/4 cup flour, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Add the egg whites, one at a time, just to combine. Do not overmix.

Add vanilla to the butter. Then, whisk the butter into the flour mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for three hours.

Fill your mini-loaf pans 1/2 full with the batter, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove from oven and let cool for two minutes before unmolding. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Then gobble them up as you nod and smile in the general direction of New York on this, the 200th anniversary of the New York Stock Exchange. I mean, actual gold bars might be better to have in your possession, but you can't eat them. And besides that, I can't make those in my kitchen anyway, so financiers it is! :)